AFC Playoffs into December

alydar

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Yeah, odd to feel, for a team that was good in the regular season but didn't feel Dominant, coupled with Gronk's absence, that anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is a playoff choke.

Unlikely, but they could avoid BOTH Pitt and KC (if Miami wins in WC, then Oak/Hou winner knocks off Pitt in Divisional)
 

E5 Yaz

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Oakland at Houston has "early game Saturday" written all over it
 

H78

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Yeah, odd to feel, for a team that was good in the regular season but didn't feel Dominant, coupled with Gronk's absence, that anything less than a Super Bowl appearance is a playoff choke.

Unlikely, but they could avoid BOTH Pitt and KC (if Miami wins in WC, then Oak/Hou winner knocks off Pitt in Divisional)
That is the long shot of all long shot scenarios. No way.

I think they'll get Houston and KC.

FWIW, how awful is that Oakland/Houston game going to be? Totally unwatchable.
 

Clears Cleaver

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These have to be worst teams collectively to make playoffs, right?

I'm guessing Houston v Oakland is early Saturday and if it's giants v packers that's Saturday prime time. Then Detroit v Seattle 1:00pm Sunday and Miami at Pittsburgh 4:30
 

E5 Yaz

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These have to be worst teams collectively to make playoffs, right?

I'm guessing Houston v Oakland is early Saturday and if it's giants v packers that's Saturday prime time. Then Detroit v Seattle 1:00pm Sunday and Miami at Pittsburgh 4:30
10 a.m. start in Seattle?
 

Clears Cleaver

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10 a.m. start in Seattle?
Yeah. Basically the Saturday night game is the premier game and you build from there. That usually means the second game from the conference is the early Sunday game. Maybe the networks will be willing to trade times for rationality sake?
 

alydar

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My guess:

Saturday
4:30 SEA/DET/GB/NYG at ATL
8:15 MIA/OAK/HOU at NE

Sunday
1:00 PITT/OAK/HOU at KC
4:30 DET/GB/NYG at DAL
No West Coast teams hosting that would prevent any team from being in any slot (i.e. Sunday at 1pm is up for grabs). In previous years, Manning/Broncos tended to get Sunday at 4:30, suggesting that's the preferred "marquee matchup" time slot, and I have to imagine the Dallas game would go here (esp if vs GB or NYG).

There's no rule about separating the conferences by day (last year both AFC games were on Saturday, which was a break with previous tradition)

Pats have been on Sat 3 years in row, FWIW.

Edit - clarity
 

The Big Red Kahuna

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Ed Hillel

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Just for some context, the Pats just beat the best team they can possibly play in the Divisional Round by 21 on the road.
 

54thMA

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Here's how I see it if GB wins.

Saturday
4:30 Oak at Hou
8:15 Detroit at Seattle

Sunday
1:00 MIA at Pitt
4:30 NYG at GB
Four awful games; battle of the back ups, Detroit won't be able to do a fucking thing vs Seattle, Miami will get curb stopped by the Steelers and Manning will pull the last game out of his ass and I'll want to smash something.

Can't wait.....................
 

ilol@u

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NFC games look amazing. No real weak links except maybe Detroit. Looking forward to seeing OBJ make his playoff debut.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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Usually I like to see the 3/6 game before the 4/5 game, because knowing if the winner is facing the Patriots or facing the other AFC bye team changes the rooting interest.

But man, Houston and Oakland both look so terribly interchangeable it just doesn't matter. I'd be tickled to see the Pats get either one of them.
 

Marciano490

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There's no way we can face Pitt in the divisional round correct? It could only be Miami, Houston or Oakland?
 

normstalls

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Follow up:

Pats guaranteed to face QB -
Will see Tom Savage/Brock Osweiler or Matt McGloin/Connor Cook or Matt Moore
 

Ed Hillel

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So now we're rooting for Pitt, right? Get the second bye vs. Hou/Oak and let Pitt and KC beat the hell out of each other. I guess it depends on if you think Pitt is some scary monster and KC isn't. I think KC is the tougher matchup.
 

jp9183

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Random question but didn't want to create a thread for it. This is my first year on the wait list anyone know how the playoff tickets work to get them before Friday? Do they send me a link or something?
 

TomTerrific

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So now we're rooting for Pitt, right? Get the second bye vs. Hou/Oak and let Pitt and KC beat the hell out of each other. I guess it depends on if you think Pitt is some scary monster and KC isn't. I think KC is the tougher matchup.
I'm rooting for KC, based on the chances they could upset the Pats. On average, KC probably plays the Pats tougher, but PIT probably has the greater likelihood of laying a stinker, but also of pulling the upset.

Give me Andy Reid predictability, please.
 

snowmanny

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?Dolphins beat Pitt and lose in NE; Texans beat Oakland and KC. Why can't I root for that?
 

alydar

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Random question but didn't want to create a thread for it. This is my first year on the wait list anyone know how the playoff tickets work to get them before Friday? Do they send me a link or something?
If I recall correctly, you'll get an email alerting you to time-frame to buy tickets in advance of the public on-sale. For some events at Gillette, however, there's no warning when the pre-sale email is going to come, it just arrives and says pre-sale starts now.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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So now we're rooting for Pitt, right? Get the second bye vs. Hou/Oak and let Pitt and KC beat the hell out of each other. I guess it depends on if you think Pitt is some scary monster and KC isn't. I think KC is the tougher matchup.
I think Pitt is probably a better team than KC. They are better on advanced metrics like DVOA and, more importantly, their season needs to be contextualized in terms of the injuries they had. Three of their losses were in games were Ben got hurt (MIA), he missed (NE), and he came back early and was gimpy and clearly playing at like 60% (BAL). They also had a bunch of defensive injuries during that stretch too.

I don't see it as night-and-day but I would slightly prefer playing KC to Pitt. Plus, if Pitt loses to MIA that leaves open the possibility - admittedly quite small but not totally negligible - of a team like HOU upsetting KC and the Patriots therefore having a road to the Super Bowl with neither Pitt nor KC.
 

CoolPapaLaSchelle

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?Dolphins beat Pitt and lose in NE; Texans beat Oakland and KC. Why can't I root for that?
This recalls the 1996-7 season, when we had the good fortune to face the Steelers in Scooby Doo-level fog in the divisional round, then had a weak (9-7) Jacksonville team shock the 13-3 Broncos to send the Jags to Foxboro for the AFC title game.
 

Al Zarilla

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This recalls the 1996-7 season, when we had the good fortune to face the Steelers in Scooby Doo-level fog in the divisional round, then had a weak (9-7) Jacksonville team shock the 13-3 Broncos to send the Jags to Foxboro for the AFC title game.
Bledsoe to Keith Byars in the fog; pass seemed to go as high as it did long. Both the ball and Byars disappeared for a while?
 

snowmanny

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They immediately killed off the Steelers' vaunted blitz with a screen and a bomb. Maybe the screen was to Byars. The bomb was to Glenn:

 

BernieRicoBoomer

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They immediately killed off the Steelers' vaunted blitz with a screen and a bomb. Maybe the screen was to Byars. The bomb was to Glenn:

I originally got season tickets dreaming of a day that I could go to a playoff game. This was my first and I'll never forget it. I have no idea how many I've been to since then.
 

MyDaughterLovesTomGordon

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If I recall correctly, you'll get an email alerting you to time-frame to buy tickets in advance of the public on-sale. For some events at Gillette, however, there's no warning when the pre-sale email is going to come, it just arrives and says pre-sale starts now.
I think it's already sold out. I got the alert that I could buy tix beyond my seats and when I tried there were none available about 3 hours after the email went out before xmas.

Maybe season holders release their tix?